The annual Sir Bernard Crossland Annual Lecture with Guest Speaker, Dr Jayne Brady, Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service took place on Wednesday 21 February at the Peter Froggatt Centre 0G /007 in Queen's University Belfast as part of the NI Science Festival.

Now in its 22nd year, the Chief Executives’ Club at Queen’s and Engineers Ireland host this prestigious lecture series, in association with The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

About the Sir Bernard Crossland Lecture Series

Sir Bernard Crossland, was one of the UK's most eminent engineers. He was appointed to the chair of mechanical engineering at Queen's University Belfast in 1959 by Sir Eric Ashby (later Lord Ashby), a reforming vice-chancellor who, like Crossland, was a passionate believer in the importance of technological education for society. Both shared the view that engineers were often more widely informed than students of the humanities.

He was one of the four expert technical assessors for the investigation into the fire at King's Cross underground station in 1987, which had caused the deaths of 31 people. The resulting Fennell Report recommended a thorough overhaul of fire detection and prevention measures, and an extension of the ban on smoking in sub-surface areas to all parts of the underground system. Sir Bernard assumed the posts as head of department (1959-82), dean (1964-67), and pro-vice-chancellor (1978-82) in Queen’s University Belfast. In 1982 he resigned the headship of the department and took up a research chair. Two years later he retired. Retirement for Crossland meant a quarter of a century of engineering research, industrial consultancies and dedicated public service. He was a member of numerous committees and councils supporting economic development and education in Northern Ireland.

Crossland had become a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1942. Forty-four years later, he was elected president. He had a pivotal role in the establishment of the Irish Academy of Engineering, and his awards included the James Watt international gold medal (of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers) and the Kelvin gold medal (of the Institution of Civil Engineers). He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1979 and knighted in 1990. In February 2010, he received the Royal Academy of Engineering Sustained Achievement award.

Sir Bernard Crossland died 17 January 2011.

About the Speaker

Jayne Brady took up the post as Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service in September 2021, the first female and external appointment in its 100 year history. As part of this role she is the most senior adviser to the First Minister and the deputy First Minister and Secretary to the Northern Ireland Executive. She is an engineer at heart with extensive, board experience and a track record of success that transcends blue-chip corporations, start-ups and funding ecosystems. Her presentation will focus on innovation within the engineering sector in Northern Ireland. She has over twenty years’ leadership experience and a diverse skillset including venture capital, due diligence, corporate governance, setting strategy, leading teams, technical ownership and finance across complex organisational structures internationally. Recent roles include Digital Innovation Commissioner, Partner in Venture Capital firm with £100Mn+ funds under management and co-founder of an Award winning Artificial Intelligence start-up.

She was also a member of the UK Government’s Innovation Expert Group which developed its 2021 Innovation Strategy and was appointed an Entrepreneurial Expert for Oxford University in 2020. She is deeply committed to delivering economic and social development through harnessing innovation and was recognised for services to the economy with both an MBE (2018) and honorary doctorate (2019). She has a passion for supporting young people and was a counsellor for Childline and board member for Young Enterprise NI. Jayne has a strong, established professional network and is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Irish Academy of Engineers. She has three children, twin 14 year old girls and a 13 year old son.